Saturday, 7 February 2015

Rodeo Parade

Skip and I enjoy taking in local events when we travel. This weekend is the rodeo in Los Fresnos, TX, a town of 5500 people about 30 km from where we are staying.

We got there an hour early to get a good place to park and to find a good place to stand. It's a good thing, too, because by the time the parade started the main street was completely lined with people.

taken about 1/2 hour before the parade started

For a small town, there were a lot of participants.

This was the first school group. I love how the mascots are very Texan in nature.

The Ocelots were identically dressed in vaquera (cowgirl) costumes.

Next came the Rancho Verde Elementary Rattlers. I'm guessing the banner carriers are the principal and the vice-principal.

The Rattlers were in red, white, and blue and carried Texas lone stars in the three colours. There would have been a big run on white cowboy boots at the local bootery.

Los Cuates Middle School was the first marching band.

It was huge! I got a lump in my throat to see all these young kids who have had their lives touched by music educators.

Even the bassoonists marched!

Then was the Resaca Middle School Gator Band

Go Gators!

Then a folkloric group.

These kids were adorable with their American flag bandanas.

Then came the Los Fresnos High School Falcon Band. They were a very large group that sounded great. I love the uniforms that had a stylized falcon head and body on the chest and the tuxedo-type 'tails' were the falcon wings.

They start kids marching early in this part of the world.

This group was the Kindergarten to Second Grade group - called "Tuxes and Tiaras".

Instead of the expected 'tuxes' there were rodeo clowns. They were preceeded by a pickup truck that blared the country tune (not surprisingly) "Rodeo Clown". They did a little dancing routine.

Then came the 'tiara' folks, dressed as cheerleaders.

There were very few corporate floats. This was the Ronald McDonald van.

Early on in the parade, Skip remarked that he was surprised that there were no horses. He spoke too soon as the last groups were all in the equine vein.

Here was a replica of a Wells Fargo stagecoach.

Then several riding groups. The two black horses at the front did a dressage-like routine.

Then came this group of senior riders.

We concluded that they put the horses at the end of the parade so the bands and other marchers don't have to step in the horse pooh.

The parade lasted almost 1.5 hours.

After the traffic abated, we drove around the corner to Julia's Restaurant for some taquitos.